Dirt Road Bimmer (intro and q?)

[bmdirtyu]

Hello. I'm Roy. I bought a 1995 318ti about a month ago and so far am very pleased with the whole package of handling, gas mileage (28 to 31 mpg on fillups so far!) and flexibility (useful rear seat, hatch etc...). I grabbed this car mostly as a commuter but have always had ideas about autox. Most of my play money goes into my Jeep so I'll probably just keep the car well maintained instead of turning it into a project.

We live out in the boonies so I get to drive 30 miles of twisties everyday. Unfortunately, I also have to drive 5 miles of dirt road everyday. Any dirt road maintenance tips? I figure to do like all my cars and change the oil early and often and keep the airfilters clean (big fan of K&N). Is there any huge benefit to a K&N cold air intake vs. a replacement filter? Keep in mind there's a ton of dusty air going into that engine compartment every day.

Thanks for reading. I've been reading and learning lots and hope to contribute my share someday after getting under the hood and getting dirty when I have to.

Oh yeah. It's been hot here lately and when I run the a/c in traffic the check engine light comes on during idling and low RPM driving. It doesn't stay on and the coolant temp doesn't climb above mid-way. Is this normal?

[bmdirtyu]

After a little research, I'm going to pass on the cold air intake mostly due to the winter-time mud and puddles. I seriously doubt hydrolocking is a real danger but our mountain road and the dirt road both occasionally get some rather huge unavoidable "puddles".

On the check engine thing I guess I'll have to figure out how to pull the code. I'll need a manual. Is the Bentley Manual the choice of most of you non-professional mechanics? I've had mixed success with their manuals in the past. Volvo and Air Cooled VW were great manuals, Vanagon was horrible.

Kind of feel like I'm talking to myself here. Maybe I should post a pic of my dirty car...

[cooljess76]

Bentley is a good manual. I still haven't shelled out the cash for one and I've had 6 e36's. It's on my wish list, but somehow I've managed to get by with a cheapo Haynes manual and the internet. Pelicanparts.com has plenty of info and DIY's and realoem.com has been really helpful as well. You could pull the codes by using the "stomp" method or by using an OBD1 scantool. If you turn the key to position 2 and fully press the accelerator pedal down 5 times really fast, the check engine light will begin to flash. Have a pen and paper handy, count the series of flashes and there you have it. Each code will be followed by a pause, if you have more than one code it'll blink in the next series of flashes. You could search this forum as well as bimmerforums for "stomp" and find more info on it. As for the dirt road, sounds like you have some rally fun on your hands! I'd clean that air filter weekly. While K&N's are good filters, they require oil that may attract dust and become clogged. I'd stick with the factory airbox and paper filters. Also, your suspension will more than likely take a pounding. I'd recommend Meyle "all metal" heavy duty ball joints and Meyle heavy duty tie rods. Bilstein makes heavy duty shocks and struts that will work fine with your stock springs. Anyway, hope that helps.

[bmdirtyu]

Also, your suspension will more than likely take a pounding. I'd recommend Meyle "all metal" heavy duty ball joints and Meyle heavy duty tie rods. Bilstein makes heavy duty shocks and struts that will work fine with your stock springs. Anyway, hope that helps.

Thank you very much. That is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. You just earned the forum a new "supporter". I'll send my $10 when I'm home.

And I'm used to constantly cleaning the K&N filters on my little fleet. It's a pain but I hate throwing away all that rubber and plastic on the the paper filters. It is fun living on a dirt road but it's a shared road so I can't get too sideways in case there's a neighbor coming the other way :eek: around the blind (which all of them are) corners.

[tiFreak]

Kind of feel like I'm talking to myself here. Maybe I should post a pic of my dirty car...

it would be appreciated :wink:

[roadrash]

If I had to drive dirt roads on a regular basis, I'd be tempted to add front and rear mud flaps.

[bmdirtyu]

it would be appreciated

Well picture your car bone stock with dust all over it and there you go! Same color and year.

Mudflaps eh? Does BMW make them with the trucker girl silhouette? Any attempts to keep the car clean are futile. Trust me on that one.

[tiFreak]

Well picture your car bone stock with dust all over it and there you go! Same color and year.

you have cordobarot too? not a very common color, I hated it at first but it's grown on me :)

[CirrusSR22]

I'd stick with the paper filter for dusty conditions. I just wouldn't trust a "high-flow" aftermarket filter in that situation.

As for the coolant temp, it should climb to almost exactly half-way and stay there under all conditions. My car sees temps from -25F to +95F, and anywhere from idling to cruise it stays right at half-way (vertical).

As for the Bentley, I think it's a good manual. Not perfect, but certainly helpful.

Believe it or not BMW made a factory "poor road package" for the European market. From what I understand it had longer springs, longer (softer?) shocks, thicker spring pads, etc... Not that you'd want it, but interesting BMW trivia. :)

[DaedHead8]

I for one, love my Bentley manual. I had to rebuild the drivers side brakes, suspension and fender after an accident and the Bentley manual saved me a ton of money. I had a mechanic do some things but the amount I was able to do by myself was increased tenfold by the bentley manual.

[aceyx]

There are factory mudflaps but I believe they stopped making the rear (ti specific). You may be able to find the fronts.

As for the manual, I have a Haynes but I haven't really used it in years. It's good to get acquainted with the car but I use the ETK (realoem.com or bmwfans.info) to look at how parts go together.

Again, PelicanParts, UnofficialBMW (Ron Stygar) and understeer provide most of the necessary information. Anything really specific I search/ask here.


One dirt-specific thing I would suggest is to make sure that you have the radiator splash guard. More often than not it gets ripped off and not replaced. Rocks that bounce up could pierce the radiator or AC compressor. Fairly inexpensive investment for peace of mind.